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Shallow Well Water Pump
I have just installed a shallow (20' deep) well for irrigation only. Our domestic water is from a deep drilled well. For the shallow well I want to pump into a 1000 gallon tank for a gravity feed irrigation system. I also want to pump directly to a sprinkler system in another area. I will be running the pump from a generator. My questions are:
1. Should I get a submersible pump or an above surface pump? The guy who installed the well advised on a submersible pump to avoid priming problems. An above surface pump would simplify the piping into the well and would keep all electrical connections out of the water. What advice do you guys have on the type of pump?
2. The horizontal run will be about 200' and the vertical rise about 10'. Can I run directly from the pump to the sprinkling system i.e. no pressure tank. If so, how much horsepower in the pump will I need to maintain about 40psi? Will it make any difference if I use a submersible pump or an above surface pump.
Thanks guys.
Wally Stein
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Shallow Well Water Pump
I'd agree with your pump man on the submersible, I've had submersibles in the well for thirty years with never an electrical problem and I'll agree water and electricity don't mix but they seem to have a system that works.
Far a needing a pressure tank, I'd think that as long as the sprinkler system has a greater capacity for using the water than the pump has for producing the water that things would work OK. Having a pressure guage on the line coming out of the well might be a good idea just to be sure you aren't overloading the puimp.
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Shallow Well Water Pump
It would surprise me if here a submersible were used on a shallow well, normally only when you get over 100 deep at least on the wells in our family and that is a few.
But a submersible does not have the same freeze danger of the pump above ground and seeing you are running it with generator, does that mean this is a location you don't live at? If so the above ground pump would be more of a target for theifs and vandals I would think.
Now if you are going to run a generator just for the pump (you did not say it would only be for pump) how about a gasoline powered pump?
Here, there has been a problem with the submeribles and lighting. No idea why.
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Shallow Well Water Pump
"Here, there has been a problem with the submeribles and lighting. No idea why."
He means lightning.
I'm concerned about a "gravity feed"---feed to the pump or actually gravity feed?
There's a formula related to head pressure---height, run, volume, etc.
I have a portable power washer with self-contained water supply. I found out that just putting a garden hose on a 425-gal plastic cube tank ISN'T enough to get more than a fast dribble even when elevated 24". I had to raise it 10' to get about 2-GPM if that with little or no pressure, as a supply for a power washer that needed 3.5 GPM min.
I ended up using a 110VAC electric sump pump to "pump up" the supply to the washer and it works well. Since it's all portable I use a $99 1000W generator to power the sump.
Another expensive lesson learned (luckily for my wallet it was on my client's dime this time): don't use pond water stocked with fish for lawn irrigation. The spinklers will plug up in seconds with fish scales. Duh-OH!
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Shallow Well Water Pump
Another expensive lesson learned (luckily for my wallet it was on my client's dime this time): don't use pond water stocked with fish for lawn irrigation. The spinklers will plug up in seconds with fish scales. Duh-OH!
Your were running too small a sprinkler or too small a pump or both. Good irrigation pump can push a frog through. Well mostly. 
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Shallow Well Water Pump
Both. But, the pump was a 2 hp pool pump and the sprinklers were the old-fashioned chit, chit, chit-ch-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-t type.
Frog, eh? Got a new name for ya Kenny--"enny the 'Xggerator" 
Hey Kenny----how's that big ol' dirt pile moving comin'?
I know, I know---it'll be there tomorrow and the next day and the next...
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Shallow Well Water Pump
Wally, go with an above ground convertible jet pump style of pump, the foot valve will prevent you having to re-prime the pump unless you open the system.
They are also a bunch less hassle since submersibles generally don't tolerate as much debris in the system as a jet pump will.
Best of luck.
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Shallow Well Water Pump
You will need a pressure tank and a regulator for any impact head type (chit chit chi-it-it as you say) sprinklers on an irrigation system to work properly. Set cut in pressure on pump to be above that which a pressure regulator will deliver to the final line - that way pressure will be constant to the sprinkler heads (make sire its above their minimum required pressure) and pressure upstream from the regulator will vary between cut-in and cut-out as moderated by the pressure tank. Depending on the amount of water delivery you intend to have you may want a 20 gallon or larger pressure tank.
Our system has 7 sprinkler heads operating at 55 PSI with a pump and pressure tank set at 60 and 70 psi - water delivery pressure is constant regardless of number of heads open (up to our limit of 7) and the radius of irrigation is the same for each head regardless of how many are on.
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Shallow Well Water Pump
As a follow up to Ann's post.
A larger pressure tank will also be easier on the pump since it will reduce the number of on/off cycles (fewer but longer cycles) since the pressure reserve will be larger.
Best of luck.
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Shallow Well Water Pump
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As a follow up to Ann's post.A larger pressure tank will also be easier on the pump since it will reduce the number of on/off cycles (fewer but longer cycles) since the pressure reserve will be larger.Best of luck.
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If I only could get my brother to understand the tank with no air in it, makes the pump come on and then off with just opening any faucet is killing the motor! Hey, even the tanks with the air bladder in them need attention over time.
OK, let me ask. The irrigation systems at least the few I have seen for crops have NO tanks. The greater the pressure the greater the radius the water is shot. OK that can vary if the pressure drops and I like Ann's suggestion on that. But if your sprinklers are able to handle the max pressure and gpm then it would seem you could forgo the tank just realize the pressure may vary. Is that wrong?
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Gas Generator Weather Protecti
06-18-2009, 23:29 
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